Thoughts on buying Chinese knives

Of all the opinions expressed in this thread, I find Ken Onion's view the most reasonable and fair.

As with most things and circumstances in life, right and wrong are often blurred. When you move up closer, see and experience it for yourself, you will be surprised how quickly you can change your own opinion.

People all over the world are just about the same. The way to change them is to show them your right side and your bright side because ultimately that's how they are going to remember you by.

People will generally remember how well you treat them in the long term and you will eventually will thank them for remembering you in that manner too.

The issue is more than just yellow, white, black or brown. Those are just colours. Beneath those shades lie flesh and blood. We are all the same - made up of kindness, love, gratitude and appreciation.
 
I have never been to China but I did spend a year tour in Korea. Go to the DMZ and see how things really are. When my unit rotated up to the DMZ, the KATUSAs (South Korean Soldiers assigned to US units) removed their name-tags from their uniforms. I asked one of them why, and his reply: Because the north koreans might find out who they are and attack their families.
Also when we were up at the DMZ we were monitoring north korean communications of their army units. Our KATUSA interpreter told us we would need another interpreter. Why?
Because the north korean unit was speaking chinese, not korean!

I also have a cousin who is Vietnamese. Her family came to America with the "boat people" when South Viet Nam fell to North Viet Nam, which is just an extension of China. Go and tell her that China is America's friend.

Tell the American pilots who were shot down over Viet Nam with chinese anti-aircraft guns that china is their friend.

Go ahead, I dare you.

Allen.
 
OK, man, now is 2002, not 196* or 197*.
Time will make huge changes. If have chance, go to Beijing or Shanghai to have a look. Yes there are still some problems with the human rights but big progress has been made. Now I'm working for an American company and you know I'm living well, free to travel to wherever in China, have chance to go to US for business trips, and there are numberless of Internet Bars in China cities and people can access most internet sites (the XXX ones will be filtered), as I'm now sitting in a Net Bar writing this post.

I don't think it helpful sitting in your house imagining how people in China is persecuted and how China is preparing to attack USA. It's been an accient story. Now the only idea in Chinese people's mind is how to make money, like any other people in the world. I love freedom and now I do own some. I think the interaction between China and the West, including trade, will accelarate the improvement in China. It's no good to be near-sighted.

I agree that China's knife is not with high quality though.

[Just edit to add some points: now Chinese people see North Korea's current situation as a big joke (and of course the official media is not permitted to show this kind of opinion). They are living in their dreams and we feel lucky that it has reached to the end in China. There are lots of this kind of discussions on Chinese internet discussing forums.]

[Edit to add: I believe there are no more Chinese army residing in North Korea or Vietnam now. In North Korea they will be starved to death, IMHO.]
 
I guess I'm biased.Because I will never forget my cousin's face when he told me how he wrote his will in 96.He served in the army.
At the same time a Chinese official threatened to destroy LA via nuclear weapons.(My brother you know who he is--¨F¯ª±d)
I know NOW IS 2002.NOT 196*,197*,BUT a lot of things have never changed.
Are Chinese people different from their government?I thought they were.Byt after I read the threadsand posts regarding 911 attack,I am not so sure about that anymore.Every Chinese seemed to be so excited and happy about that so many American have been killed.NO ONE show any
sympathy.
The people from China I met are nice and gentle,but I just can't understand why they are so happy and excited about 911 attack.
 
<ranting start>

There are plenty of Chinese people that feel bad at the events of 9/11 -- What the h ell is all this stereotyping going on? The government is one thing, but don't stereotype all 1+ billion people in the population.

As for this whole buying American thing, I personally feel that the world is shifting towards (and in reality has always been if, for example, you compare the Great Depression-era economic situation) a global economy. America's economic standing depends on exchange with other countries. If all you do is buy American, then those "foreign" companies that employ great masses of American labor (e.g., Honda) will layoff workers here. An extreme example, everyone boycotts Kershaw, they go out of business and their entire North American workforce is laid off. The Chinese factories? Well they'll just be retooled and produce other metal items for other companies. So who is the real loser in the above example?

<ranting end>
 
I don't buy only American. I have a few knives from Japan, firearms from Austria, Belgium and Brazil and clothes from all over the world. My Ford truck has a Mazda engine with parts from the Philippines. But I will not (or will try hard to avoid) buying anything from China. One of the stocks I'm invested in has a partnership with a high tech firm in Taiwan. I'm far from buy only American.

Some things it's tough to avoid. The Rosewood furniture in my home originated in mainland China (Canton?) -- excellent craftsmanship. I bought it through a Hong Kong based distributor in 1979. But I digress ...

Some of the posters who are from China say they are just capitalists in a free market -- that's fine, but the Red Army is also in that free market and with all the front companies they have used, who's who? If free enterprise can eventually free the Chinese people, including those being prosecuted for religious beliefs, that will be great. Right now, we are competitors, economically, politically and militarily.

It's bad enough that on the Casio G-Shock I bought where on previous models it said Japan, it now says China; but I won't knowingly buy a knife that can be bought from known U.S. manufacturers. I may buy a Glock knife (Austria) and I may buy an Al Mar or a Cold Steel (Japan), but Kershaw knives are off my list. I'll do fine without them.
 
FYI, all speed safe knives are made in America some non speed safe models are also. all the rest with the exception of the Echo are made in Japan .As for the Vapor it is made both in Japan and China. We do very little business with our Japanese owned Chinese factories.They make mostly Kitchen products like ladels and spoons ,forks,garlic presses,wooden spoons ,can openers,pots,pans which I bet are in most of your kitchen drawers.
I think it's great to be patriotic and have guidelines to live buy but to say I'll own a garden hose thats made in China or a pair of pants,Nike shoes or a shirt,maybe my kids toys or a weed wacker thats made in China but I in no way will own a Chinese knife sounds kinda empty and meaningless to me. I mean what kinda point are you trying to make ? I served my country in the Marine Corps . I saw action, I will fight to the death to defend my country. I am very much American.
BTW Note the steel in the Vapor knife is imported into China from Japan so the inferior materials issue is mute.
 
I currently only own knives made in USA, Japan, Switzerland and Taiwan. I remember not long ago (and still happens) that Taiwan was considered a place that only manufactured POS knives, but companies like CRKT, Outdoor Edge, and now, even one model from Spyderco are changing that view. In the '70s Japan was considered cheapy but Seki makes some of the absolute best knives I've owned. Nowadays there is no question Japan is known for producing quality.

The China government is no friend to USA. But unlike the government the people are individuals with individual thoughts/feeling/opinions just like anywhere else. The main concern is making a living, like anywhere else. I know I still have an image of Mainland China as a producer of (cheapy) knives. We can hope that like some other countries recently, China's government will have a radical change for the better, but these are more likely to come slowly through more exposure to different views.

I do know that Kershaw produces a number (most?) of their knives in the USA and also still some in Japan. I think they might have been the first US company (in 1974?) to realize the quality workmanship in Seki, Japan knifemaking. I won't boycott Kershaw because of some knives being made in China. If I don't like it, I won't buy that particular knife, that's it. Maybe it has more to do with my feeling of the "image" of a knife stamped "Made in China" than the actual quality of the knife, which must be up to factory specs.

But some people blaming all Chinese due to their government or due to the behavior of certain citizens is like the stupidity of blaming all Japanese people still today for the actions of the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII. It illogically paints everybody as the "monolithic hordes" who have no will, thoughts or actions of their own apart from what is portrayed in the popular American media.

Anyway, just my .02.

Jim
 
Originally posted by KenOnion
I think it's great to be patriotic and have guidelines to live buy but to say I'll own a garden hose thats made in China or a pair of pants,Nike shoes or a shirt,maybe my kids toys or a weed wacker thats made in China but I in no way will own a Chinese knife sounds kinda empty and meaningless to me. I mean what kinda point are you trying to make ?
Click to expand...

I guess we all take our stand where we take our stand, Ken. If given a choice I do not buy Chinese-made products. With knives I've got a choice and I admit to being disappointed to learn that Kershaw would be producing the Vapor in China. I won't buy a Vapor and, to be honest, I probably won't purchase other Kershaw products either. If that small economic protest means anything to Kershaw, great. I'll gladly embrace them again should their policies change.

The human rights abuses of the Chinese government are not hypothetical. They are well documented and ongoing and include forced abortions/sterilizations, vigorous religious suppression, and the total destruction of the sovereign nation of Tibet. I cannot in good conscience know of these things and then stick a Vapor in my pocket.

Jack
 
Well said Jack.
I guess everyone has forgotten how we had to beg to get our plane back last year.
Chinese people are no different than any other people in the world, some good, some bad, but the gov't there is why I wont buy anything from China if I can help it.
 
EastKnight,
Ancient history?
The time of my tour that I was referring to in Korea was in 1990!
How soon we do forget...and that's a pity.

Allen.
 
Fred--I'm more inclined to see the small Chinese tool shops as agents for positive change. The situation in China is in flux. I'm not willing to add one-quarter of the earth's population up at the top of America's enemies list.
 
Fred,

If you are going to remove all products made in China you will also have to remove many of the US knives you have. Many US manufacturers use components made in China. I will not name names but it is fact.

Also you may want to look at most of the products you buy. Avoiding China is going to be extremely difficult. I would venture a guess that a good percentage of the products we use daily are either made in China or use components made there.

Turn you key board over and see where it was made :)
 
Originally posted by Mike Turber
I would venture a guess that a good percentage of the products we use daily are either made in China or use components made there.

Turn you key board over and see where it was made :)
Click to expand...

Man, talk about poignant.

"Product of China"

Brandon
 
I know, Mike, and I won't mention any names either. But I sincerely believe American business is making a disatrous mistake with such heavy investment in China. Not only does it support a regime that is unfriendly to the U.S. (and anybody that thinks it is not an unfriendly regime is not paying attention) but also there are grave risks in investing in Communism. This is the kind of Government that would think nothing of nationalizing all foreigh investment at the drop of a hat. One economic downturn in the "China economic miracle" and American business investment will be a distant memory. It's happened with friendlier regimes than this one.

We may not suffer the results of this ill advised investment but, if we don't, I think our children will. I realize I can't change the trend but I can do my small part to slow it down a tiny bit and I can hold out as long as possible. Sorry, but I feel very strongly about this.

I harbor no ill will toward the Chinese people either, but my feelings about their government are the same as their government's feelings about my country.

Incidentally, my keyboard is made in Thailand which I view as a country that is friendly to the U.S. Thanks to everyone for the responses on both sides of the issue. It has been an interesting thread to follow.
 
Originally posted by Mike Turber
Turn you key board over and see where it was made :)
Click to expand...

Damn it Mike.....:mad:

On the other hand I purchased a can opener that was made in the USA.

Gord.
 
It has been 12 years since I have made a conscious decision to try not to buy products Made in China. It has not been easy, I've been far from 100% successful and it's gotten more difficult as the years go by. This has further reinforced my buying habits.

I harbor no ill will toward the Chinese people either, but my feelings about their government are the same as their government's feelings about my country. Fred, I agree.

My buying habits will evolve as the relationship between China and the USA does.
 
My keyboard is made in Mexico! :D
 
Just an FYI, take it however way you want, but if you're going to boycott companies that do business in China, you better stop eating at McDonald's and KFC, they do far more business there than Kershaw. There are hundreds of U.S. companies doing business in China...
 
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